1) Describe some of the major themes in the Pentateuch and their function in helping to bind together the diverse materials in the Tanakh's first five books. How do the divine promises serve to provide a unifying element in the long narratives extending from Genesis to 2 Kings?
2) The Pentateuch consists of both story and law. In what ways are these two different literary genres related? How does Israel's response to YHWH's ethical and legal commands at Sinai/Horeb shape the narrative sections?
3) Define the term cult legends, and explain their function in validating or justifying a particular center of worship in Canaan. How do traditions that Israel's ancestors worshiped El/YHWH at a given shrine or that they erected monuments testifying to a theophoany at a particular locale serve to explain how that site became regarded as a suitable place of worship or sacrifice for later generations of Israelites?
4) Describe the probable audience for the Pentateuch. How do its narratives relate to a group in eile? Does the tradition that Abraham's family originated in Mesopotamia and that Jacob's sons settled in Egypt have any bearing on the circumstances of people exiled far from their homeland?